Chair



March 21, 1933. J A. SANTOS 1,902,586

CHAIR Filed March 14, 1930 IN V EN TOR. JOJEPH A. JANTOJ.

A TTORNEY- Fatented Mar. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES} PATEN JOSEPH A. sAN'ros', or OAKLAND, camos m CHAIR Application filed March 14, 1930. Serial No. 435,836.

An object of the invention is to-provide a chair of the character described in which the occupant thereof may quickly and easily adjust the chair while remaining seated therein and in a particularly efficient manner. Another object is to provide a chair of the character described in which the back rest may be caused to assume variously inclined positions and to be automatically locked in such positions by and upon the occupant first manually releasing a locking means then leaning-forward or backward into the desired position.

A further object is to provide a chair'of the character described in which the seat will assume variously inclined positions incident to and upon the adjustment of the back rest in the manner aforesaid, whereby maximum comfort for the occupant is provided in all positions of adjustment of the back rest and seat. 7

Still another object is to provide a chair of the character described in which an effective and comfort providing cushioning and shock-absorbing action is insured regardless of the adjustment of the back and seat members. 7

Yet another object is to provide a chair of the character described which is of simple, inexpensive, compact, strong and durable construction, and also subject to installation and operation in a comparatively small space.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in'the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. 7

of Figure 1.

, by a pin 10 fixed to the socket 6 and arranged as desired; In association with thisv'means Referring to, the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chair con structed and arranged in accordance with" my nvention, the mounting means and certain other parts being shown in'section' f Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontalsectional view taken on the plane of line 2-2- Figure 3 1s anfenlarged fragmentary sec tional view of the locking means shown as when unlocked.

Figure/l is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the locking means whenlocked.

Figurec5 is a sectional iew taken on' the. plane of line 5-5 of Figure 1.. i V

The present embodiment of my chair as" shown in the accompanying drawingcom-v prises a substantially rectangular seat frame 1 supported byasingle' standardQ and in turn supporting an, adjustable seat member {9 3 and an adjustableback rests.

In order to provide a cushioning and shock v v absorbing action and to particularly adapt the chair for use in motor buses and thelike, the standard 2isespecially constructed and as here shown comprises .a, base member 5 including a tubular upright socket 6 adapted to slidably receivea seat frame carried member 7. Acoiled spring 8 is arranged in the socket 6 to engage the lower end ofthe member 7 and to thereby resiliently support such member.v On the upper part of the member 7 is a similar coiled spring 9 the-lower end of which rests upon the upper end of said socket 6. This spring together with the. spring 8 provides for an efiective shock/ab sorbing and cushioning action Turning of. the chair on the standard maybe prevented to'extend through a slot 11 in the member 7 in such manner as topermit ofvfree vertical movement of the member .7. Air cushion ing means may be used in place of the springs in said standard 2. 7 I

Means are provided to permit of the occupant of thechair adjusting the back rest and seat members by and upon leaning backward or forward as the case may be, whereby thesaid member may be variously inclined is an automatic locking means which is subject to easy and ready release by the occupant of the chair upon a simple movement of a lever or like operating member. The aforesaid means are so arranged and interrelated that the locking means normally locks the seat and back rest against movement, and the locking means after its release automatically locks the seat and back rest against movement when the latter come -to rest in the positions into which they are ad-f justed. Preferably the locking means requires but a slight moving of the operating lever or member thereof, torelease said I 15 means, and upon so moving the lever the occupant then leans forward or backward to jthereby inclinetheback rest and seat as deots 17 as will be later described.

sired. Upon release of the operating lever 26 the locking means then automatically locks the seat and back member against movement.

The seat and back rest adjusting means, as here shown'comprises a pair of bars 15 slidably. mounted in bearings 16 fixed to the frame 1 and pivoted at their inner ends as at 17 to frame bars 18 of the back rest 4;. Mount ed on the bars 15 are expansion springs 19 which at their outer ends abut members 20 on the outer ends of said bars and their inner ends engage the bearings 16. These springs act to move the bars 15 outward or forward and on such movement the back rest is swung forward, fulcruming on the pivots 28* although the back rest may fulcrum on its piv- 5 The seat member 3 is hinged as at 22 at its rear endto the frame 1 and is arranged to be tilted or inclined into various positions. To provide for tilting of'the seat, links 23 are pivoted at their ends to the bars 15 and said seat member in such manner that on forward sliding movement of said bars the front end of the seat will be lowered and on rearward movement of said bars the front end of the seat will be lifted. In this way the seat and back members are simultaneously adjusted by and upon the occupant leaning backward or forward. As the occupant leans forward the frontpartof the seat is depressed and as the weight of the occupant is taken off the back the springs 19 act to move the bars 15 forward and thereby the back rest is moved forward and literally follows the occupant into the position into which the occupant leans. The weight of the occupant acts through the seat member and links 23 to aid in this forward movement of the bars 15.

Qn leaning and pressing backward on and "against the back rest the latter is moved and is joined to framel by resilient link devices 26 arranged to yieldingly resist a rearward rocking or other movement of the backrest on the pivots 17. As here shown each'of these link devices comprises sectional link parts 27 and 28 respectively pivoted to the frame 1 as at 28* and to the-lower ends of the back rest as at 28 and joined by a spring 29 in an arrangement such that the spring will resist movement of the link parts towards oneanother such as Would take place onrearward rocking of the back rest on said pivots 17. A sudden jar throwing the chair occupant rearward against the back rest will cause the back rest to yieldingly swing rearward on the pivots 17 Such a movement is not accompanied by longitudinal displacement of the bars 15 by reason of the locking means holding said bars against movement as will be hereinafter described.

The locking means primarily comprises detent rods or members 31 and 32 arranged to be moved into and out of lockingrelation to the bars 15. j are in the form of rods slidably mounted in The bearings 16 have These detent members 31'and 32 a tubular member 34 which extends to and openings 35 in the sides thereof to permitv the rods 31 and 32 to be moved into and out of frictional locking engagement with the slide bars 15.

The inner opposed ends of the rods 31 and 32 are spacedapart and extended in the space E00 7 between said rods is a lever 36 pivotedto the tubular member 3& as at 37.v On appropriate ,movement of this lever the opposite sides thereof will engage and move outward the rods 31 and 32 to the extent that said rods-- will frictionally bind against, and hold the bars 15 against movement. On movement of this lever into position shown in Figure 3 withits sides parallel to said ends of the rods 31 and 32, the pressure on said rods is released and the frictional holding action thereof against the bars 15 is removed. The lever 36 is pivoted to a rocker bar 38 which in turn 7 is pivoted as at 39 tosupporting link 40 like- The wise pivoted as at 11 to the frame 1. 4 rocker member 38 is disposed to be engaged and moved by an operating lever 12 pivoted as at 13 on the frame 1. A retractilespring 1 1 is fixed to said lever 42 and operates to yieldingly hold the lever in engagement with the rocker bar 38 whereby at all times, except when the'lever is pushed forward, said lever 42, bar 38, and lever 36 will be held in position to maintain the rod 31 and 32in locking. I engagement with the slide bars 15. a

Asshown in Figure 1 the frame 1 and'more particularly the side arm structure 46 thereof carries anti-friction rollers 47 on which the bars 15 ride at points adjacent-their rear ends, these rollers and the bearings 16 providing cline the back and seat members the occupant first grasps and pushes forward on the operating lever l2 and thereby relieves pressure on the locking rods 31 and 32 such thatthe bars 15 are released and free to slide. Next the occupant leans forward or backward as desired. On leaning forward, the front end of the seat member 3 is depressed and the springs 19 act to move the bars 15 and back rest a forward. On leaning backward the back rest is pushed and inclined rearward and the bars 15 slide rearward against the action of the springs 19 and by such movement rock the links 23 so that the front part of the seat 3 will be lifted.- Thus the seat and back member are simultaneously adjusted on forward and rearward leaning of the occupant. In either case, after the desired adjustment is effected by the occupant, the lever 42 is released and the spring 'fi l acts to return the lever into position to engage and rock the member 38 in such manner that the lever 36 is moved to engage and displace the rods 31 and 32. When thus displaced said rods bind against and hold the slide bars 15 against movement and thus the back rest and seat are automatically locked in the adjusted position. I

I claim:

1. In a chair, aframe, ase'at member piv oted thereto, a member slidably mounted on said frame, means connecting said seat member to said second named member, spring means yieldingly resisting relative sliding motion between said second member and said frame, a back rest pivotally mounted on said second member, and a resilient link mechanism connected between said back rest and said frame. a

2. In a chair, a frame, a seat member pivoted to said frame, a member slidably mounted on said frame, spring means yieldingly resisting relative sliding movement between said second member and said frame, a back rest pivotally connected intermediateits ends to said second member, resilient means connecting one end of said rest to said frame, and means connecting said seat member to c said second named member whereby upon rearward movement of said second member said seat will be rotated about its pivotal connection to said frame.

3. In a chair, a frame, a seat member piv oted to said frame, a member slidably mount- 7 ed on said frame, spring means yieldingly resisting relative sliding movement between said second member and said frame, means normally operative to lock said last named member against movement relative to said frame, means operative to render said last named means inoperable, a back rest pivotally connected intermediate its ends to said second member, resilient means connecting one end of said rest to said frame, and means connecting said seat member to said second named member whereby upon rearward movement of said second member said seat will be rotated about to said frame.

its pivotal connection In testimony whereof have hereunto set my hand at Oakland, California, this 25th;

day of February 1930.

JOSEPHA. SANTOS, 

